BROCKTON – Motivated in part by the high-profile August 2013 murder of Jennifer Martel, whose boyfriend Jared Remy pleaded guilty in late May with stabbing her to death at their Waltham apartment, the domestic violence bill moved easily through the State House.

Members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives voted 152-0 to approve the bill, the Senate took a voice vote, and Gov. Deval Patrick signed it into law Aug. 8.

For the most part, the bill’s provisions immediately took effect.

The measure increases training programs on domestic violence, establishes state and local domestic fatality review teams to examine the causes of domestic violence-related deaths and establishes a fund to encourage practices aimed at preventing domestic violence and aiding victims. The bill makes it easier to purchase pepper spray and provides paid employment leave for victims.

The most controversial portion of the measure increases privacy protections for victims by prohibiting information about domestic violence arrests from being included in daily public police records and logs. Even before it was signed, Massachusetts Newspaper Publishers Association Executive Director Robert Ambrogi criticized that section of the bill for also holding back the names of those arrested in domestic violence cases.

Despite that provision, the bill received so much support because of how much it will help the victims of domestic violence, Rep. Mike Brady, D-Brockton, said.

“There’s a lot of good pieces of the bill that I’m very much in support of,” Brady said.

The bill, in part, requires employers with 50 or more employees to allow workers who are victims of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault to take a paid or unpaid annual 15-day leave of absence to address court, housing, health and other issues arising from the incident.

It also prohibits the use of an “accord and satisfaction” agreement in domestic violence cases. These agreements allow the courts to dismiss a domestic violence charge over the prosecutor’s objection if the victim acknowledges in writing that he or she has signed an out-of-court private agreement with the offender.

Other provisions create a new charge for a first offense of domestic assault and delay bail for domestic violence offenders by six hours, allowing victims an opportunity to find a safe place and get the necessary help.

Brady said that the measure making secret the identities of those charged with domestic violence does not outweigh the benefits of the bill, but that lawmakers should examine the changes made to police logs.

“We definitely have to look more thoroughly into that portion of the legislation,” Brady said. “We may need to tweak some of that – what’s put in the police log and what’s not.”